Lomopedia: Yashica Samurai X3.0

Curiously named and designed, the fully automatic Yashica Samurai X3.0 is a 35mm SLR half-frame camera that was launched in the late 1980s. Find out more about this quirky snapper in today's installment of Lomopedia!

Possibly one of the most unique film cameras to grace an analogue lover’s collection, the Yashica Samurai X3.0 35mm SLR camera was introduced in 1988. It was the first model in the Samurai series of ergonomic, half-frame, bridgeSLR cameras produced by Yashica. It’s a fully automatic camera with no manual settings, with automatic focus, film advance, and exposure. Shutter speeds range from 2 to 1/500 sec., and the aperture from f/3.5 at wide angle to f/4.3 at telephoto. The shutter button and trim around the lens socket comes in different colors.

Three things make this camera stand out from the rest of its point-and-shoot counterparts: First, obviously, is its design, made for one-hand operation much like a compact video camera; Second, despite its point-and-shoot handling, the Samurai is a true SLR camera; third, is its half-frame format, something uncommon among point-and-shoot cameras.

Other interesting features include a built-in flash and hot shoe, auto-dating unit (prints date and time on your photos), motorized 3x zoom, and diopter adjuster.

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